Travel Info Religion - Blue Heaven Holidays

It is estimated that 94 -96% of the population of Egypt is Muslim. There are some three to four million Coptic Christians living in Egypt.

The word "Islam" means "having peace with God" or "submission to God". A Muslim is a follower of Islam.
"Allah" is the Arabic word for God and the "Quran" is the holy book of Islam, representing the literal word of God as revealed to the Prophet Mohammed through the Archangel Gabriel. The Prophets "sayings" or "hadith" supplement the Qur'an as a guide to the correct conduct and behavior of Muslims. The Hadith includes reported sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet Mohammed. This code is called the "Sunna".

Five basic duties are required of the believer in Islam. These duties are typically called the "Five Pillars", because they form the foundation of the house of Islam.
1. The confession of faith or affirmation of the creed (Shahada): "There is no God but God and Mohammed is the Messenger of God". 2. Prayers (Salah): Muslims are required to pray five times daily, facing in the direction of Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. The times for prayers are dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, dusk and after dark. 3. Fasting (Sayam): Ramadan, the month of the Prophets first revelations, is the month of fasting for Muslims. All sane adults are obligated to fast between dawn and dusk during this month.
4. Almsgiving, a tax or gift (Zakah): It is the responsibility of all Muslims to give not less than 2,5 % of their earnings and savings to the community each year to help the poor. 5. Pilgrimage (Hajj): Each Muslim is required to perform a pilgrimage to Mekka at least once in a lifetime if means are available.

The Islamic calendar began in the "year of Hejira" or A.H. 1, which was the year the Prophet Mohammed moved from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution. A.H. 1 corresponds with the year AD 622 of the Gregorian calendar. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and based on 354 days.

This is the reason that Islamic new year, feasts and the month of Ramadan are shifts. Ramadan 2012 will take place around the 1st of August to 30th of Augsut. Every year Ramadan is moving forward approximately 10 days. Friday is the holy day for Muslims, so Egypt's weekend is Friday and Saturday.

The basic principals of Islam

- Muslims are not allowed to eat pork and its by-products, they should avoid alcohol.
- Most importantly "There is no God but God". God is the one and only. Jews, Christians and Muslims are called the "People from the Book", the book referred to being the Old Testament.
- Muslims believe God has sent several Messengers or Prophets through the ages. The Prophets of Judaism and Christianity, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus are also Prophets of Islam. Mohammed is believed to be the final Prophet of God.
- Muslims believe God created unseen creatures such as angels for special missions.
-They also believe that there is a day of judgement when all people throughout history are brought before God for accounting, punishment and reward.
- In Islam prayer is to God and only God and is made by the individual with no intermediaries.
- There is nor "Original Sin" in Islam. Humans are born free from sin and it is only after they reach puberty and after they commit a sin that they are charged for their mistakes. The door of forgiveness by God is always open through repentance.

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